Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh gets relief as Supreme Court quashes copyright infringement case over Kahaani 2

Sujoy Ghosh

Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh, who has been accused of copyright infringement over his Kahaani 2, has received a huge relief by the Supreme Court. The apex court on Friday quashed the proceedings against the filmmaker in the copyright infringement case.

Sujoy Ghosh gets relief in Kahaani 2 copyright case

Writer Umesh Mehta alleged that Sujay had plagiarised the script of Kahaani 2. He claimed that the filmmaker used his script Sabak to make Kahaani 2, which is a copyright violation.

A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe allowed Ghosh's plea, challenging a Jharkhand High Court's order (dated April 22, 2025), which refused to quash the proceedings pending against the filmmaker. "The summoning order dated June 7, 2018, passed by the CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) and the order dated April 22, 2025, passed by the high court are quashed and set aside," the bench noted, while allowing Ghosh's plea.

Sujoy Ghosh is well-known for his thriller Kahaani, set in Kolkata. His other works include Jhankaar Beats and Badla. Additionally, he has also directed short films and contributed to anthology projects.

About the case

In July 2025, the Supreme Court, in a relief to Ghosh, exempted him from appearing in the Jharkhand court and issued a notice seeking his response.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Hazaribagh issued a summons against Sujoy Ghosh, following which Ghosh moved the Jharkhand High Court, but the high court rejected his plea, observing it would not conduct a "mini-trial" at the quashing stage, challenging the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court

The complainant, Umesh Prasad Mehta, had written a script for the film Sabak, which was certified by the Notary Public of Hazaribagh for obtaining its copyright.
It was alleged that the complainant met Ghosh and obtained a recommendation letter, which was essential for obtaining the copyright of a film script.

Ghosh allegedly kept a photocopy of the script of the complainant and knowingly infringed the copyright of the complainant by producing the film Kahaani 2. The film was watched by the complainant in a film hub at Hazaribagh.

After watching the film, the complainant alleged that Ghosh violated his copyright by committing theft of his script and infringed its copyright.

(With inputs from agencies)